Scientific American's
Frequently Asked Questions

***Now Answered***

Table of Contents


    Subscribers (past, present, and future):
    Contacts
    Rates & Money Q's
    Starting Your Subscription
    Security & Privacy
    Account Information and Changes
    Mailing and Subscription Problems
    Online Bonuses

    Gift Donor/Donee Questions:
    Purchasing a Gift
    Renewing Your Gift
    Online Gifts

    Educators, institutions, researchers, and inquisitive minds:
    Copyright Permissions
    Reprints
    Back Issues
    Educational Rates
    Editorial

    Agencies:
    Advertising
    Subscription Sales

Answers

    FOR SUBSCRIBERS (PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE) [Back to the top]
     
    CONTACTING SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN[ Back to the top]
     
    How do I contact Customer Service for Scientific American magazine? o Log onto www.scientificamerican.com/customercare
    o Dial toll free 1.800.333.1199, from the US or Canada
    o Dial 515.248.7684 from out side the US or Canada
    o Write to:
    Scientific American
    P.O.Box 3187
    Harlan, IA 51593-0378


    How do I contact Customer Service for Scientific American Mind magazine? o Log onto www.sciammind.com/customercare
    o Dial toll free 1.888.262.5144, from the US or Canada
    o Dial 515.248.7684 from out side the US or Canada
    o Write to:
    Scientific American Mind
    P.O.Box 5715
    Harlan, IA 51593-121

    How do I contact Customer Service for Scientific American Digital editions?
    All your Scientific American inquiries can be answered by logging on to www.scientificamerican.com and selecting the "Help" tab at the top of your screen.

    Who do I contact about Scientific American Book Club?
    Please note that Scientific American Book Club is not directly affiliated with Scientific American Inc. If you are experiencing difficulties with an order placed with them, please contact them directly.
    o Call 1.800.747.4105
    o Log onto www.sciambookclub.com
    o E-mail service@sciambookclub.com
    o Fax 717.795.1508
    o Write to:
    Scientific American Book Club, Member Service Center
    PO Box 6375
    Camp Hill, PA 17012-6375

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    How can I order online/by phone/by mail?
    ONLINE: Type in www.scientificamerican.com/subscribe or www.sciammind.com/subscribe , after filling out your contact information, you will be taken to our secure checkout site (https://w1.buysub.com) to log in your payment information.
    EMAIL: You can e-mail us your subscription order with mailing address to SCAcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com. Do not send us your payment information in the message text! We do not accept this form of payment. You may use one of the other methods of contacting Customer Care to provide payment, or wait for an invoice in the mail.
    PHONE: Call Customer Care, between the hours of from 8am-12am M-F, 9am-7pm Sat-Sun EST. Have your payment information ready, and a representative will be happy to assist you.
    MAIL: Send in an insert card from one of our magazines accompanied by your preferred method of payment. You can also send us a letter indicating your mailing address. Please provide payment in the form of: credit card information, check, or money order to the publication's Customer Care center.

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    STARTING YOUR SUBSCRIPTION[ Back to the top]  

    I have entered/supplied/mailed in my subscription order, when can I anticipate receiving my first issue?
    You can look forward to receiving your first mailed issue of Scientific American within 4-6 weeks of placing your order.

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    SECURITY and PRIVACY[Back to the top]
     
    Is my credit card safe when I give it online?
    Yes! For purchases of any kind on our website, you are redirected to a secure https:// webpage where your billing information is encrypted and used for the sole purpose of charging you for what you ordered. Do not send your credit card information via e-mail!

    SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN's PRIVACY POLICY

    We at Scientific American, Inc. respect your concerns about privacy and value the relationship we have with you. You can read about our privacy policies on our website at www.scientificamerican.com/privacy [Back to the top]
     
    ACCOUNT INFORMATION and CHANGES[Back to the top]
     
    Online Customer Care provides you with 24-7 service in order to ensure the quickest account verification, modification, and issue resolution. In order to access your account online (or by phone), we will need you to provide us with your account number and mailing zip or postal code.

    How do I find the account number of my subscription?
    Your ten-digit account number is located on the second line of your mailing label.


    How can I determine my subscription's expiration date?
    The expiration date is located directly across from your name on the right-hand side in MMM/YY format
    How can I renew my subscription online/by phone/by mail?
      PHONE: call Customer Service; have your account number/account mailing information as well as your payment information ready to give to a representative
      MAIL: mail in your paper renewal notice with payment to the appropriate P.O. Box.


    How can I inform you of my change of address?
    If you're moving, please let us know by contacting Customer Care 4-6 weeks in advance.
      o The fastest way to change your address is by logging into your account online with your account number or e-mail address and changing your mailing address there.

      o You can also notify Customer Care by calling in, or mailing to us your change of address with its effective date accompanied by your current address label, if available, Attn: Change Of Address.

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    MAILING and SUBSCRIPTION PROBLEMS[Back to the top]
     
    I did not receive the latest issue of Scientific American / The latest issue I received was damaged.
    If you did not receive your latest issue within a week or two of its regular shipping time, or if you received a damaged copy of the latest issue, please log onto Customer Care with your account information to report the problem.
    You can also send your mailing label, if available, and the missing/damaged issue date to Damaged Issues at Customer Service for a replacement copy.


    I have not received my "free gift" yet. When will I get it?
    Your premium is scheduled to mail within 6-8 weeks of our receiving payment. If you have not received it within the maximum allotted time, please feel free to contact us at Customer Care.

    I already renewed but I just got a renewal notice in the mail. Is my subscription current?
    Occasionally you may receive a renewal or payment reminder after you have already mailed us your reply to a previous notice. Should this happen to you, it probably means our correspondence has crossed in the mail; just ignore it. However, if you receive several notices, it is possible that we did not receive your response and you should contact Customer Care.
    How can I cancel/opt out of my subscription?
    We'll be sad to see you go, but if at any time you choose to cancel or opt out of your Scientific American subscription, you can contact Customer Care with your account information and your cancellation. We will immediately cancel your subscription and refund you're your balance for all remaining unmailed issues. If you are opting out of a promotional offer, you may receive one or two more mailings, which you can simply disregard.

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    GIFT DONOR/DONEE Q's[ Back to the top]
     
    How do I give a Scientific American or Scientific American Mind subscription as a gift?
    The fastest and simplest way to give a subscription gift is by ordering online at www.scientificamerican.com/gift or www.sciammind.com/gift. You can also contact Customer Care and provide us with your name and address, the name and address of each gift recipient, and your payment.
    I am a donor and would like to renew my gift.
    No need to stress, when the time comes to renew your gift, we'll remind you! Notices will also be sent to you via e-mail and paper mail when it's time to renew your gift.
    If, however, you'd like to renew in advance, you can log onto Customer Care with your account information, or contact our Customer Care center.

    Can I give a gift subscription to Scientific American Digital?
    Yes! Just click here!
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    INSTITUTIONS, EDUCATORS, RESEARCHERS, and INQUISITIVE MINDS[Back to the top]
     
    PERMISSIONS

    To submit a request for permission to copy or use material from Scientific American, please select and complete the appropriate form online at www.scientificamerican.com/permissions

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    REPRINTS

    How do I obtain reprints of a single article?
    Reprints for feature articles in Scientific American published within three months of the current issue are available in limited quantities at $4.00 each. Minimum order: 1,000 copies. To order: please indicate the date of the article(s) that you want and fax your request with credit card information to 212.355.0408 or e-mail: reprints@scientificamerican.com

    If, however, you do not have a need for so many copies, please refer to Back Issues

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    BACK ISSUES [Back to the top]
     
    If you want a particular issue of one of our publications, you may order a back issue copy. Each printed back issue costs $10.95 in the US, and $13.95 elsewhere, and may be purchased by credit card or check.
    For your convenience, we offer several methods of obtaining back issue copies of Scientific American publications:
      o For a complete list of Scientific American print issues available for purchase log onto www.scientificamerican.com/orderissues and order with your credit card online. You will be taken to our secure checkout site (https://m1.buysub.com) to log in your payment information.
      o You can also call 1.800.925.0788 (US & Canada) to place your order with a customer service representative and pay by credit card.
      o You can fax your order with payment information to 515.362.3345
      o You can mail in your order with credit card information, check, or money order to:
        Scientific American Back Issues
        P.O.Box 4002812
        Des Moines, IA 50340

      You can also use your credit card to purchase digital copies of articles and issues dating as far back as 1993 from our online digital web store at www.scientificamerican.com .

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    EDUCATIONAL RATES [Back to the top]

    I am an educator/student; would it be possible for me to get a discounted subscription to one of your publications?
    We occasionally extend special education rates for students, educators, and their classes. These are extended on a case-by-case basis. To qualify, the student must be the subscriber (no gifts), and provide proof of enrollment and date of graduation.
    Educators purchasing bulk class subscriptions are asked to provide a course title, a complete list of mailing names and addresses, as well as start date for the educational subscription.

    For all such applications, please contact education-subs@scientificamerican.com
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    ARTICLE/EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS

    I would like to submit an article/send a letter to the editors, what is your procedure?
    Editorial correspondence should be sent to editors@scientificamerican.com, or addressed to:
      The Editors, Scientific American
      415 Madison Avenue
      New York, NY 10017

    Please Note: We cannot and do not accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or materials of any kind.

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    AGENCIES [ Back to the top]
     
    ADVERTISING

    How can I advertise in your magazine?
    o For ONLINE advertisements, please contact Gary Bronson (gbronson@scientificamerican.com) for more information.
    o For advertising in our PRINT publications, our contact list is available at www.scientificamerican.com/mediakit

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    SUBSCRIPTION SALES

    Subscription Agency Authorizations
    Subscription Agents wishing to sell subscriptions to any Scientific American publication are authorized on a case-by-case basis.
    In order to be granted authorization, the agency must contact: agency-subs@scientificamerican.com to request agency remit rates.
    Agencies must also provide the following:
    1) a direct contact at the agency
    2) the agency's method of sales
    3) the ABC channel of agency sales
    4) preferred method of payment
    5)any other pertinent information about the company & company policies.

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    Access your account information at www.scientificamerican.com/customercare

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